Germany's 'Demokratie leben!' Restructuring Sparks Fears Over Civil Society Funding

Germany's federal program "Demokratie leben!" is undergoing a nationwide restructuring that will end funding for more than 200 (projects) — nationwide democracy projects losing funding by end of 2026 projects by the close of 2026, with Berlin politicians warning that irreplaceable civil society work is now at risk. Green Party member of the Berlin House of Representatives Susanna Kahlefeld said the restructuring "hits Berlin to the core," adding that it endangers both established providers and civil society initiatives she described as indispensable. The announcement has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum in Berlin and beyond, with calls for Governing Mayor Kai Wegner to personally intervene with the federal government on behalf of the city's affected organizations. The Federal Ministry of Education confirmed the funding expiration but said new applications would be accepted once revised guidelines are published, expected in the summer. The Berlin education administration declined to comment, citing the absence of final federal decisions.

RAA Berlin and ufuq.de named as vulnerable providers Kahlefeld specifically named two Berlin-based organizations whose work she said could not be replicated by classroom teachers alone. RAA Berlin e.V. provides educational equity programs, while ufuq.de runs school-based projects aimed at preventing Islamism and radicalization. Kahlefeld argued that such work is "not an extra" but rather "a basic condition for a functioning democracy." Both organizations are among the more than 200 projects whose current funding contracts are set to expire at the end of 2026 under the restructuring. The Federal Ministry of Education's spokesperson acknowledged the disruption but stressed that whether any project receives renewed funding will depend on the quality of submitted concepts and compliance with future criteria. The revised funding guidelines are expected to be available in the summer, leaving affected organizations in a period of uncertainty in the meantime.

„Programs such as the educational work of RAA Berlin or the prevention work of ufuq.de at schools cannot be replaced by teachers.” — Susanna Kahlefeld via dpa

Left Party candidate demands Wegner act before structures collapse Elif Eralp, the Left Party's lead candidate for the 2026 Berlin House of Representatives election and a current member of that body, said the cuts were targeting precisely those initiatives that work to strengthen civil society and combat hate. Eralp directed her criticism at Governing Mayor Kai Wegner of the CDU, demanding that he use his position to advocate for Berlin's projects with the federal government. She framed the issue in terms of democratic resilience, arguing that a functioning democracy requires active protection of the organizations that sustain it.

„A resilient democracy is now more important than ever. The Governing Mayor must now stand up for the protection of our diverse Berlin.” — Elif Eralp via dpa

The call placed Wegner, who has led Berlin since April 2023, in a politically delicate position, as the restructuring originates from a federal ministry aligned with his own CDU-led coalition in Berlin.

Federal commissioner warns rebuilt structures come at great cost Criticism of the restructuring extended beyond Berlin's state politics. Elisabeth Kaiser, the Federal Government's Commissioner for Eastern Germany and a member of the SPD, sharply condemned the plans in statements to the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and the "Sächsische Zeitung." Kaiser warned that dismantling civil society infrastructure built with public money and voluntary commitment would not be easily reversed.

„Once the structures created with the help of tax money and a lot of voluntary commitment are gone, they can only be rebuilt with great difficulty.” — Elisabeth Kaiser via dpa

The "Demokratie leben!" program was launched in 2014 by then-Federal Family Minister Manuela Schwesig and has since operated as one of Germany's primary federal instruments for funding civil society democracy and extremism-prevention work. The program entered its third funding period covering 2025 to 2032 and is described as part of the federal government's broader governance strategy. The current restructuring, which is being driven by the Federal Ministry of Education, involves adapting the program's funding guidelines, with the revised framework expected to be published in the summer of 2026.

The Berlin education administration's decision to withhold any public position until federal decisions are finalized left local organizations without a clear signal from city authorities. The ministry's acknowledgment that new applications are possible offered some hope, but the gap between the expiration of existing contracts and the publication of new guidelines means many projects face months of financial uncertainty. For organizations like RAA Berlin and ufuq.de, which operate on multi-year program cycles embedded in school and community settings, that uncertainty carries practical consequences that politicians on both sides of the debate acknowledged would be difficult to reverse once the damage is done.